Has it frustrated you that the spirit and meaning behind Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has been flipped? The Bible’s prophetic book of Daniel challenges all who are living in a world of DEI politics. This is part two of a four part study. Read Daniel and DEI, a Sure Word in Prophecy, Part 1, here.
Promote the Golden Rule
When living in the world of DEI politics we have to remember the words of Jesus. “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).
Daniel’s coworkers didn’t love their neighbor. They set him up to fail.
“Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom. . .” (Daniel 6:4,5). They trumped up charges against him “Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God” (Daniel 6:4,5).
They drafted unjust laws that targeted Daniel, but protected the interest of the ruling class.
“Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked” (Daniel 6:6–8).
All their doings were based on religious discrimination. One might even say ethnic discrimination! All it took was for the king to sign an executive order, an ordinance, to that effect.
It probably didn’t help that Dan had a prominent role, a good job, was paid well, was well-educated, was a well-known and generally liked person. He was a minority in Babylon and was discriminated against because of his race and religious beliefs. They probably called him a “DEI hire.” Never mind that he was picked by Darius himself. Never mind that Nebuchadnezzar, the Queen Mother, and Belshazzar all saw something special in Him
Suffer No Loss
But, take another look at Daniel 6:1–3, where we find a measure of Daniel’s competence and skill:
“It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom” (emphasis supplied).
Suffer no loss means someone kept the peace in the kingdom. It meant that someone collected the taxes! Daniel, at this time about 85 years old, well past retirement age, managed the kingdom. Maybe the issue with Daniel stemmed from ageism. Yet, he always rose to the top in everything he did. Whether it was advocating for better food, or serving as an advisor to the king, Daniel had the best interest of everyone in mind and always rose to the top. Daniel had been to the top school in the country during his formative years, he studied in the King’s school. He had the education. Despite his age and ethnicity Daniel had the intelligence, training, experience, and past success needed to carry out his job.
Close to Home
Despite all that, Daniel still faced opposition in the work place. Don’t think that because you have a good job—a nice home, a little money in the bank, a little education, or that with your ethnic roots from someplace outside of the USA—that you’ve arrived and risen above the drama of discrimination. We live in a world of sin, and with sin comes jealousy and narcissistic supremacy.
That’s why we’ve got to advocate for the Golden Rule! The Golden Rule operates when everyone is mindful to treat each other with same respect, deference, and care.
The word of God says:
“Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph” (Amos 5:14-15).
Justice starts with the Golden Rule, and the Golden Rule means you treat others the way you yourself would want to be treated!
Now listen to this: To say, “treat others the way you want to be treated,” can mean to treat others with kindness, love, and respect. But it’s really deeper than that. The deeper meaning of the phrase is to treat others according to their love language. Treat them in the way that they receive love. Treat them in the way that they receive kindness. Treat them in the way that they receive respect.
Some apply the the Golden Rule by understanding that “kindness given is kindness returned,” never wasted. Similarly, the maxim ” Sow bountifully, reap bountifully” reflects the same concept. Some know that the Golden Rule operates as the two-way street of respect. The
bottom line is that we’ve got to promote the love found in the Golden Rule, and that is to treat others the way you yourself want to be treated!
So, when living in a world of DEI politics, remember to :
- Maintain Your Consistency, and,
- Promote The Golden Rule
Next time, we find that living in a world of DEI politics means, like Daniel, we make our protest known!
